News

"We turned them into sparkling wines long before Dom Pérignon ever set foot in Champagne." Gravitas Ventures has released an official US trailer for a British documentary film called Sparkling: The Story of Champagne, the latest in the ever-growing subgenre of wine documentaries. "Described as a love letter to the joys and pleasures of Champagne, this sparkling documentary shares inside perspectives from the A-list Champagne houses and features some very familiar faces." It's also explores England's early "connections to bubbly, from Churchill's love of Pol Roger to the Bond franchise and the Queen's vineyard – this light-hearted documentary returns some much needed celebration to our lives and provides a modern twist on Anglo-French relations." Shot on location in France, England, New York and LA. Featuring appearances by Vitalie Taittinger, Bruno Paillard, Sir Nicholas Soames, and even Stephen Fry. It doesn't look like the most complex or artistic doc, but it does...

Ratings

“A staggering 20.6 million of you watched England’s victory on BBC One last night,” tweeted “Match of the Day” host and English soccer legend Gary Lineker on Wednesday as the viewing numbers from Tuesday night’s UEFA European Football Championship round of 16 match between England and Germany came in. Those numbers make last night’s match the most-watched of the tournament in the U.K., surpassing the Home Nations derby between England and Scotland, which peaked at 19.4 million.

6.5 million live streams were also accessed across BBC iPlayer and BBC Sport online and set a new iPlayer live viewing record of 5.6m streams. In total, more than 27 million Brits tuned in or logged on to watch the game. Next up for the Three Lions is a trip to Rome where they will face Ukraine on Saturday evening.

First-look

ViacomCBS International Studios (Vis), a division of ViacomCBS, and AGC Television, the...

Exclusive: Sparkling: The Story Of Champagne, Frank Mannion’s feature documentary about the popular beverage, has landed key territory deals.

Gravitas Ventures, a Red Arrow Studios Company, has acquired North America and is lining up a release on August 13, Britbox has acquired UK (excluding theatrical rights), Smile Entertainment has Scandinavia (with Fidalgo in Norway) and Rialto will be releasing the film in 50 cinemas in Australia and New Zealand, while Canal+ has acquired France and Poland. Swipe Films handles sales rights and will release the pic in UK cinemas on June 25.

The doc features Stephen Fry and a host of notable figures from the champagne world, including: Taittinger President Vitalie Taittinger, Bollinger Chairman Etienne Bizot, Dom Perignon wine-maker Vincent Chaperon Nicholas Soames, the grand-son of Winston Churchill, the authors Oz Clarke, Don and Petie Kladstrup, and the Queen’s winemaker, Tony Laithwaite.

The film shot in France, England, New York and...

Festivals

The Banff World Media Festival (Banff) has unveiled its masterclass lineup for this year’s online festival taking place June 14–July 16. Classes will be held by creative team members of major global programs including “It’s a Sin,” hosted by creator Russel T. Davies, director Peter Hoar and actor Nathaniel Curtis; Warner Bros. Television’s Peabody-winning series “David Makes Man,” led by creator Tarell Alvin McCraney; “Transplant” with creator and showrunner Joseph Kay; Finnish animated series “Moominvalley”; CBC’s “Sort Of”; and a previously announced presentation from the creative team behind FX’s new series “Reservation Dogs.”

*****

Thong Kay Wee has been appointed as program director of the Singapore International Film Festival, taking over from Kuo Ming-Jung. He will work alongside executive director Emily J. Hoe from June 21. Thong was previously program and outreach officer at the Asian Film Archive. There, he has presided over multiple film-centric programs with a...

Feature documentary includes Stephen Fry and leading names from the world of champagne.

UK independent outfit Swipe Films is to handle world sales on Sparkling: The Story Of Champagne, a feature documentary that will include Stephen Fry and leading names from the world of fine wine.

The film marks the directorial debut of Irish producer and Swipe Films managing director Frank Mannion, and is in post-production. The first footage will be shown to buyers at the European Film Market (Efm) in March, with the feature set to be completed in time for Cannes. Talks are underway with an agency to co-represent in the US.

In today’s Global Bulletin, Inclusive Cinema addresses racism; Swipe pops champagne documentary; BFI seeks film fund director; Sky goes green; Sovereign acquires “Verdict”; and Blackstone buys “Stars Wars” building.

The U.K.’s Inclusive Cinema project has launched a guide for improving the cinema experiences of ethnically diverse audiences and staff — a directive that challenges institutions to make good on their Black Lives Matter and anti-racism statements from 2020.

The guide, titled “Dismantling Structural Inequality in Your Cinema,” was commissioned from artist and freelancer Sadia Pineda Hameed, and is cited by its writer as “the last toolkit that cinemas should need.” The toolkit examines the role of cinemas in the context of systemic injustice and focuses on preventing harm towards people of color. From immediately actionable tools, to encouraging inner, reflective and dialogue-based work, towards undoing systemic injustice, the guide is intended to create lasting change for future generations, and...

President Donald Trump has nothing but respect for the troops. Unless it’s sprinkling. Trump and First Lady Melania Trump were scheduled to appear at the Ainse-Marne American Cemetery and Memorial in northern France, the site of one of the bloodiest World War I battles, but cancelled allegedly due to weather.

Trump was supposed to attend the event along with French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who did attend, but the president decided not to go because it was raining in Paris. The White House said Trump...

Director Michael Bay's Transformers: The Last Knight found itself embroiled in a bit of controversy on Friday, when set photos surfaced revealing the production had used the birthplace of British Prime Minister Winston Churchill as the site of a Nazi headquarters facility for this upcoming movie. This decision was met with quite a bit of disgust, which Winston Churchill's own grandson thinks is "idiotic."

Set photos surfaced from Blenheim Palace on Friday, the historic birthplace of Winston Churchill, which was seen draped in large Nazi banners, while actors were seen wearing Nazi SS uniforms and other World War II vehicles were spotted near the location. British army veterans spoke out, claiming it was "disrespectful" to Winston Churchill, while others claimed he would be "turning in his grave." The Guardian caught up with Nicholas Soames, a Conservative MP (Parliament Member) from Mid Sussex and Winston Churchill's grandson, who...

Tory MP Nicholas Soames describes reports of veterans’ outrage at the recasting of Blenheim Palace as Hitler’s HQ as ‘pathetic’ and ‘a completely manufactured row’

Sir Nicholas Soames, the Conservative MP for Mid Sussex and grandson of Winston Churchill, has defended the film-makers behind Transformers: The Last Knight for shooting scenes at Churchill’s former home, Blenheim Palace, which recast the site as Hitler’s headquarters.

Related: Anger as Churchill's home turned into Hitler HQ for Transformers 5

Continue reading...

He backed the campaign for Britain to leave the European Union, and pulled out of the race to replace Prime Minister David Cameron as a result. Now former mayor of London Boris Johnson has been named the UK's Foreign Secretary by new Prime Minister Theresa May. Johnson was the most prominent supporter of the "leave" campaign as voters headed to the polls over the historic decision widely known as Brexit. Following the shock result to leave, Johnson paid tribute to Cameron, calling him "brave" and "one of the most extraordinary politicians of our age." Johnson, with his shock of wild blonde hair,...

Former Top Gear presenter Beki Adam is to stand as an MP at the next election.

Adam is to challenge the Conservatives' Mid Sussex MP Sir Nicholas Soames as an independent parliamentary candidate, The Argus reports.

The 48-year-old appeared on Top Gear between 1988 and 1990.

In an eventful career, Adam went from presenting the show to leading a drug legalisation protest by selling cannabis cakes from a Brighton coffee shop in 1992, to becoming a Buddhist monk in the late '90s.

She will also compete with Labour candidate Greg Mountain, Ukip's Tony Brothers, Green Miranda Diboll and Liberal Democrat Daisy Cooper for the seat.

Top Gear presenter Jeremy Clarkson recently criticised a Liverpool newspaper after it published an article condemning him for comments he made about the city.

Watch a clip of Beki Adam presenting Top Gear below:...

She's already been made a dame by Queen Elizabeth II. Now, Angelina Jolie has dived even further into British life by paying a visit to the House of Lords. Though Jolie recently admitted that she was "open" to running for office, her trip to the heart of British politics wasn't the first step on a new career path. Instead, Jolie was at Parliament's upper house Monday to see her close friend Arminka Helic, 46, become a member of the 1,000-year-old institution. Watching from the gallery alongside Sir Nicholas Soames - grandson of Sir Winston Churchill - Angelina told the London Times...